DECEMBER 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
No-till takes centre stage at
field day Untilled soils are healthier, have greater biodiversity
by TOM WALKER ROCK CREEK – West
Kootenay farmers had a field day in the hills above Rock Creek on September 10. “We had an opportunity to view both informal and formal field trials that the farmers are developing,” says Rachael Roussin, coordinator of the Kootenay and Boundary Farm Advisors, which organized the event. “But these field days also make a space for conversation among the farmers.”
The first stop was at Doug and Erica Fossen’s cattle ranch. Classic curious farmers, the Fossens are always looking to improve the efficiency of their ranch. This has made Doug is a
fan of zero-till, the practice of seeding each year’s crop through the stubble of last year’s.
Benefits include less
compaction and healthier soils because there’s no loss of organic matter or microbes. “We've had spots, like on our calving grounds, where the soil was so compact we couldn't grow anything,” he explains. “We have been zero- tilling for probably 20 years now, and those areas are not
compacted anymore and the soil is getting stronger.” Less time on the tractor
also saves on the gas bill. “We are always looking for
ways to reduce our fuel bill,” he adds. The Fossens showed a field planted to corn and intercropped with clover. The aim was to have some clover left behind for fall grazing after the corn was cut for silage. The clover was not as successful as he had hoped, however. “My timing was a bit off, and the seeder I am using is really old,” he says. “But there should be some clover roots to stabilize the hillside soil in the spring and the new growth could give some early grazing.”
He also shared tips on
growing and harvesting corn silage and corn grazing. “I got good yields on my
corn, around 7.5 tons of dry matter per acre,” he says. “I had more than I needed for silage so I left two fields for the cows to graze in December.” He grazed an eight-acre
field two years ago and he believes he got the
equivalent yield in the field as if he had harvested it. “I am hoping that each 13- acre field with about 400
Doug and Erica Fossen show results of clover inter-cropped in a corn field. “It grew this high,” says Erica. TOM WALKER PHOTO
cows will last 15 to 17 days,” says Fossen. “So, hopefully, we can get an extra month of grazing past when we would normally have to start feeding.” But it’s good to have a
The breed you can trust!
back-up plan, he says. “We have enough silage out in the pit to feed if everything goes wrong and it is just an ugly experiment for the neighbours to talk about,” he chuckles.
Radish rescue
Over 100 years of dry-land farming in the Rock Creek sunshine have left the grain and forage fields on Jamie
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